British Slang For Cat (Explained!)

The most common British slang term for cat is “moggy” or “mog”. This is widely used and understood throughout Britain. Other commonly used slang terms include things like pussycat or kitty. Other terms with more specific meanings but which are still widely applied to all cats include things like tom or grimalkin.

British slang terms for cat are rich and varied, then, but for the most part you’ll just hear them referred to as something common like moggy or kitty.

It can often depend where you are in Britain and the age of the speaker, as different terms are used by different people in different places.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What do the British call cats?

There are a few different slang terms for cat in British English, but the most common and uniquely British is “moggy” or “mog”.

This can be and typically is just a catch-all term for any kind of cat, although its meaning historically was a bit more specific than that—but more on that later.

Everyone in Britain will understand this one no matter where you are in the country or whomever you’re talking to.

That said, there are a variety of other slang terms used for cat which may be more common depending on where you are.

Generic, universal slang terms for cat are very widely used—these include things like “pussycat” or “kitty”.

Different people might use these in different ways.

For example, some might reserve the use of “kitty” for young cats and kittens, whereas many simply use it for all cats.

There are a few specific slang terms which refer to certain kinds of cat.

“Tom” is a shortening of “tomcat”, a term referring to a male cat which is widely used in Britain.

Naturally this one only applies when you know the cat is a male.

Some slightly archaic and older terms but which are nonetheless still used today includes “grimalkin” and “malkin”.

You may be met with some confusion if you use these terms as they are certainly not as widely used as they once were, but they are far from falling entirely out of use.

The term “grimalkin” can also be a derogatory term for a bitter old woman, so you definitely want to be careful with how you use that one!

Where do we get these terms from, then?

Why do the British say moggy?

The precise origin of the term moggy is not certain, and what theories we have are somewhat scattered.

One of the leading ideas is that it was ultimately a Scots word, a variation of the girl’s name “Maggie”.

This would have been used in the vernacular, and we have no written examples that make this connection explicit.

In Cockney slang was where it was first recorded as having the sense of a “mongrel cat”.

Just like dogs, cats have pedigrees.

When cats are of indeterminate pedigree, the result of mixed breeding with many other breeds, then they are a “moggy”.

Naturally, this is very often the case with stray cats that are living on their own on the streets.

So, the term became interchangeable with the idea of mongrel. It may be simply that “moggy” is a shortening of the word mongrel.

This term quickly caught on and spread throughout the country until it is universally understood today.

Why do the British say tomcat?

Tomcat, as I mentioned, is a specific term for a male cat.

It skirts the edges of being true slang, but the simpler term “tom” could probably more certainly be called slang.

This term is a very old one, and was originally popularized by a book from the 19^th Century called The life and Adventures of a Cat, published in 1760.

In this book, the male cat was called Tom.

Ever since then, the term tomcat has been one of the most common ways to refer to a male cat.

Even this book was written out of a tradition of naming male kittens Tom, though, which is attested as far back as the 14^th Century.

Up until 1760, another common name for a male cat had been “gibcat”, from the name “gilbert”.

Tom more or less totally replaced this within a few decades.

Why do the British say grimalkin?

The term “grimalkin” is another term with a long history and one which is not as commonly used today as it once was.

Nonetheless you may still hear it from time to time, so it’s worth being aware of it.

This was originally a name given to a cat, especially an older female cat.

This was used as far back as the 1620s, and is even attested in Shakespeare.

The term was either “grimalkin” or more completely “grey-malkin,” which is a name used in Macbeth for a cat.

The term “malkin” was a diminutive of the female name “Matilda” or “Maud”.

The term “grimalkin”, then, was a compound of “grey”—as in old—and “malkin”, simply meaning a female name.

So the question is varied and the answer may depend on the context.

Again, though, no matter where you are in Britain or whom you’re talking to, there will be terms understood by everyone.

Moggy is the most specifically British one that is still widely used, one that you won’t hear much outside of Britain.

But other more generic slang terms like kitty or pussycat are just as widely used.

More in British Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

Was this article helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!